Bubbling with ideas

Ah, the enthusiasm for a new project!

I really should push myself away from this screen and go do something. I've been having a float around a few housekeeping blogs / sites. I've been in love with brocantehome for years, following Alison silently through tears and triumph. Through the finer things in life which spawned this blog, I found What if No One's Watching and her before and after pictures of her cupboards here (scroll to bottom) are an inspiration, so you might just see some clutter to tranquility shots (if I dare!)

After having spied at least one of her books on Maz's shelves, I'm going to dust off my copies of Simple Abundance and Romancing the Ordinary and let them inspire even more self and house loving!

Rav Package

So leaving me today are

2 Rowan pattern books
1 lovely felted and beaded leaf brooch

and not in the count, a selection of fruit teas and some mini eggs

I doubt the recipient knows about this blog, so I feel safe blabbing on here!

Nothing spectacular here

An odd day - DH up in the middle of the night.  He tripped on the stairs last night and squashed his hand against the banister so woke up with it painful and useless.  Bandaged and ibuprofened, he had a very disturbed night, went to see the nurse practitioner who declared it sprained, not broken as he feared, then recovered enough to go cycling and then to the pub this evening!  DS then woke with a bad stomach so he had to stay at home for the day - hence little got done here, just odd bits of tidying and vacuuming, quilting and fiddling. Drift drift drift

Even with this lack of action, I managed to lighten the house by

1 dressing up dress given to a friend
2 books and
1 old filofax style thing into the charity bag

4 items lighter

I also got together a promised package to a fellow Raveller but it won't go out of the house until tomorrow so I will add the constituent items to the count then

Feeling tired and jaded now so I'll love myself by going to bed

Update

before I go to bed, I'm happy to report I gave

3 books to a knitting friend
1 dressing up dress to another friend
3 cookery books and
1 chip and dips plate to the charity bag

less the 2 items I bought

6 items lighter in this house

however I've just realised that another knitting friend gave me a length of technical material to make some macho morsbags

5 items

Another day, another twist

It must look like I'm decluttering my bank account of cash - had to take the car for an MOT, which showed up a 3 figure repair and that's before it goes in for a service.  Ah well, at least we're safe again

That all took longer than I expected so my plans for today have gone awry.  While waiting I just happened (hah, as if) to go into a couple of charity shops.  I fingered all of the vintage hand embroidered linens and being a good girl asked myself what I would do with them, where I would store them and happily left them for someone else to admire and take home. 

I could not, however, pass up the chance to pick up a beautiful silk jersey dress with a beaded neckline made by Ghost.  Looking on ther site their dresses when new cost at least 10 times what I paid.  So a bargain and a symmetrical one at that - a few months ago in a different charity shop I was beaten to another dress from the same label by a woman who had quicker reflexes than mine!

My second bargain (and last) was an Alice Starmore knitting book that I can admire for some of its stitch patterns and enjoy how she gets her inspiration then sell on for a hopefully reasonable price (currently going on E Bay for over £30 new)

so, that's 2 items brought in before I turf anything out today

Excited

So pleased to have a decluttering buddy.  We've both been bad enablers to each other over the years, despite living 65 miles apart, so maybe we can encourage each other to have the tranquil homes we deserve.

In addition to the work I listed below, I've filled and emptied the dishwasher, mopped the kitchen and toilet floor and most exciting of all, triggered sewing enthusiasm in DD

I'm just about to advertise a dressing up costume on my local facebook classified - it was a butterfly princess dress that I designed and made when DD was little - layers of blue and butterfly printed voile over a blue cotton dress.  She looked lovely in it, but it languished in the toy shed for many years and it's time for someone else to enjoy it.  Here it is 'fresh' from the shed in a bit of a crumpled state:

Day Two

Well I was on a roll today

removed and given to the charity shop

4 cassette tapes
1 chess set
1 collection of pilates bands
2 swimming badges
45 videos (at least - I didn't count them all)
6 plates
3 bin bags of old toys (no idea of how many individual toys there were in there so I'll just count the bags)

posted

2 bookmooch books

ready for gifting tomorrow

3 books to a friend

I make that 67 items minimum and it's only the afternoon!

Additionally I've

called a contact about a job
joined Postcrossing and sent 5 postcards
taken the bags to the charity shop
got an important document endorsed and sent off
made medical and dental appontments
booked the car in for MOT
paid my credit card bill
made dinner in advance

Day one

I got rid of a cherry/olive de-stoner, a miniature water dispenser, a mug tree (all in the charity bag) and two large pots of various metal bits (given to my silversmithing teacher) = - 5 objects

However, I picked up two pairs of curtains for morsbag making and a bag full of patchworking material and received a book to review = +3 objects

so I am only just keeping to the 2 items a day pledge already!

I thought about just tracking what goes out, but surely the whole clutter thing stems from not keeping just as firm an eye on what comes in?  I'm also not counting paperwork in the tally - that would send me mad(der) counting it either in or out, so it is just getting sorted as we go

The challenge

Over on my craft blog, http://www.alteredeye.blogspot.com/ I pledged to take the declutter challenge on amys finer things.  So, from today I will aim to have removed from the house at least 730 items in the next 12 months - an average of 2 per day.  I'll also parade my shame on here with lists of what has gone and even some photos.

I'm kind of already doing a lot of decluttering as I feel overwhelmed with stuff, but I like the accountability that this gives me.  Wonder if anyone else will join me?